Objectives: Although surviving bone resection/limb salvage surgery treatment is the beginning of the journey towards recovery, the importance of providing patients with post-operative psychological support is often overlooked by health professionals. Hence, patients typically are left to their own devices in terms of ensuring their mental health and well-being. Methodological Approach and Participants: This qualitative analysis of seven long-term sarcoma survivors' reflective journal entries provides insights into the different phases of distress, resilience building, resilient growth and advice-giving that they moved through during their survivorship journey.
Interpretation: Our findings identify the fragility of patient resilience and highlight areas for future research.
Keywords: 2-year post-operative period; diagnostic distress; long-term sarcoma survivorship; psychological journey; survivors’ resilient growth.